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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.8 update for Headphones! Read the R&D Article to learn more.

Sennheiser HD 201 Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Review updated Apr 27, 2016 at 11:46 am
Latest change: Test bench update Nov 21, 2019 at 11:22 am
Sennheiser HD 201 Picture
5.4
Mixed Usage
6.9
Neutral Sound
4.7
Commute/Travel
5.6
Sports/Fitness
5.4
Office
4.2
Wireless Gaming
6.0
Wired Gaming
1.7
Phone Call

The Sennheiser HD 201 are below-average headphones that feel cheaply made and have an unexciting sound. They only passively isolate, which lets noise seep into your audio in loud environments and on noisy commutes. However, they will remain stable on your head even during physical activity.

Our Verdict

5.4 Mixed Usage

The HD 201 below-average everyday headphones. They lack a lot of features and have an uneven, bass-lacking sound. They also struggle in loud environments.

Pros
  • Stable fit.
  • lightweight, decently comfortable design.
  • Low leakage.
Cons
  • Poor isolation.
  • Flimsy, all-plastic build.
  • Bass lacking sound reproduction.
  • Noticeable harmonic distortion.
  • Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
6.9 Neutral Sound

Average for neutral listening. They sound a bit uneven and poorly balanced. Their closed-back design also limits their soundstage which is not ideal for neutral listening. However, for their price range, they have a sufficiently good audio reproduction for most casual listeners.

4.7 Commute/Travel

Not suitable for commuting. The poor passive isolation is not enough for loud environments. They're also a little flimsy and lack a few features for frequent commuters.

5.6 Sports/Fitness

Below-average for sports. They're lightweight and surprisingly stable. However they're a bit too bulky, and the long cable is cumbersome.

5.4 Office

Below-average for office use. They don't leak much but poorly isolate listeners. So the chatter of a busy office will seep into your audio.

6.0 Wired Gaming
  • 5.4 Mixed Usage
  • 6.9 Neutral Sound
  • 4.7 Commute/Travel
  • 5.6 Sports/Fitness
  • 5.4 Office
  • 4.2 Wireless Gaming
  • 6.0 Wired Gaming
  • 1.7 Phone Call
  1. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  2. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  3. Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
  4. Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
  5. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  6. Updated Apr 27, 2016: Review published.
  7. Updated Apr 25, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
  8. Updated Apr 11, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type Over-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless No
Transducer Dynamic

The Sennheiser HD 201, have a studio appeal that's a little bland but works for some. They have a black color scheme with gray accents on the back of the oval ear cups. They are not too bulky and look somewhat high-end even with their all-plastic build.

7.0
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.41 lbs
Clamping Force
0.69 lbs

The HD 201 are lightweight and do not apply much pressure to the head. The oval ear cups are large enough to fit well around the most listener's ears. Unfortunately, they do not have enough padding on the headband and the ear cups, which reduces their level of comfort.

0
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use N/A
Feedback N/A
Call/Music Control No
Volume Control No
Microphone Control N/A
Channel Mixing
N/A
Noise Cancelling Control N/A
Talk-Through
N/A
Additional Buttons N/A
7.0
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 4.1 °C
5.6
Design
Portability
L 7.48"
W 6.69"
H 3.15"
Volume 157.64 in³
Transmitter Required N/A

The Sennheiser are not the most portable headphones. They are mid-sized over-ear headphones but do not fold up into a smaller format for easy transport or lay flat to take up less space. They will fit in a backpack but are little too cumbersome for handbags and purses and will not fit into most pockets, even larger jacket pockets. They also don't come with a case or pouch which is disappointing.

0
Design
Case
Type No case
L N/A
W N/A
H N/A
Volume N/A
5.5
Design
Build Quality

The Sennheiser HD 201 do not feel durable. The all plastic design is a little cheap, and the swivel hinges look weak. On the upside, the headband and ear cups use slightly denser plastic, which should be able to handle a few drops, without damage.

7.5
Design
Stability

The HD 201 are very stable headphones. Once on the head they barely move even during physical activities like jogging. They maintain their position extremely well during casual listening sessions, and although they are not designed for use while doing sports, they will not slide off your ears easily even after a violent shake. Unfortunately, the cord is not detachable, which may pull the headphones off your head if ever it gets hooked on something.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Sennheiser HD 201 Headphones
  • 1/8" to 1/4" Adapter

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
-5.71 dB
Treble Amount
-2.25 dB
6.4
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.79 dB

The frequency response consistency of the HD 201 is mediocre. These headphones showed about 6dB of deviation in bass delivery across our 5 human subjects. This is significant and noticeable, however, their treble delivery is decently consistent.

Sound
Raw Frequency Response
8.4
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.2 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
30.4 Hz
Low-Bass
-3.92 dB
Mid-Bass
-2.13 dB
High-Bass
-0.41 dB
7.3
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.63 dB
Low-Mid
1.9 dB
Mid-Mid
3.76 dB
High-Mid
4.3 dB
6.7
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
4.54 dB
Low-Treble
0.67 dB
Mid-Treble
2.24 dB
High-Treble
-4.24 dB
7.1
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.72 dB
Dips
1.92 dB
6.7
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.16
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
2.49
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
3.66
Weighted Phase Mismatch
13.4
5.6
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
3.45 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
0.62 dB
PRTF Distance
9.96 dB
Openness
9.1
Acoustic Space Excitation
4.0
7.5
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.200
WHD @ 100
0.229
Isolation
2.6
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-7.23 dB
Noise Cancelling No
Bass
0.32 dB
Mid
-0.36 dB
Treble
-21.39 dB

Poor isolation. These non-noise cancelling headphones don't isolate any sound below 1KHz. The passive isolation provided by the ear cups is also below average. It starts to kick-in around 1KHz, reaching the maximum of -30dB at 6KHz.

6.8
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
40.53 dB

Decent leakage. The majority of the leakage is happening in the mid and treble regions, spanning from 500Hz-3KHz. Although this range is rather broad, the overall level of the leakage is not too loud.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
N/A
In-line
N/A
Boom
N/A
Detachable Boom
N/A
Mic No
0
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
N/A
LFE
N/A
FR Std. Dev.
N/A
HFE
N/A
Weighted THD
N/A
Gain
N/A
0
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise N/A
Speech + Subway Noise N/A
SpNR
N/A
Active Features
not tested
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
N/A
Continuous Battery Life
N/A
Additional Charges
N/A
Total Battery Life
N/A
Charge Time
N/A
Power Saving Feature
N/A
Audio While Charging
N/A
Passive Playback
N/A
Charging Port N/A
0
Active Features
App Support
App Name N/A
iOS N/A
Android N/A
macOS N/A
Windows N/A
Equalizer
N/A
ANC Control
N/A
Mic Control N/A
Room effects
N/A
Playback Control
N/A
Button Mapping N/A
Surround Sound N/A

No compatible app.

Connectivity
0
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
N/A
Multi-Device Pairing
N/A
NFC Pairing
N/A
Line of Sight Range
N/A
Default Latency
N/A
aptX Latency
N/A
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A
0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.0
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable No
Length 8.4 ft
Connection 1/8" TRS
Wired Latency
0 ms
Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC / PS4 Analog
Audio Only
PC / PS4 Wired USB
No
PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Wireless
No
0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
N/A
USB Input
N/A
Line In
N/A
Line Out
N/A
Optical Input
N/A
RCA Input
N/A
Dock Charging
N/A
Power Supply
N/A